Tuesday, August 31, 2010

British crossover thrashers SSS have recently returned home after completing their "Wreck and Annoy" headlining European tour and have posted a tour debrief on their blog page.

SSS frontman FOXY looks back on the tour:

"Wreck and Annoy tour has had its share of ups and downs, the good and the bad and great we have digested and relished. Tour is what it is, we love it."

SSS have been keeping track of all of the fun and antics of life on the road on their new tour diary blog page. Read the band's tour debrief and look back at their recent adventures at http://sssliverpool.blogspot.com

The name of SSS's "Wreck and Annoy" tour also wasn't without irony, as the band's frontman, FOXY, broke his foot while skateboarding in Pinkafeld, Austria. That didn't slow down the frontman, however, as he soldiered on for the remaining shows of the tour, performing each night on crutches.

CRITERIA FOR A BLACK WIDOW, the 1999 album from Canadian melodic thrash metal pioneers ANNIHILATOR, has been reissued and is out now in Europe.

Following the recent release of ANNIHILATOR's critically acclaimed, self-titled new album, Earache Records is reissuing six albums from the band's illustrious back-catalogue. CRITERIA FOR A BLACK WIDOW is the second reissue in the series, with CARNIVAL DIABLOS also available now.

CRITERIA FOR A BLACK WIDOW featured the reunited original ANNIHILATOR line-up, including vocalist RANDY RAMPAGE. The album is available now on CD featuring two bonus tracks and a bonus guitar workshop video with JEFF WATERS, and comes housed in a custom slipcase. The album is also available for the first time on limited edition coloured vinyl LP.

CRITERIA FOR A BLACK WIDOW and CARNIVAL DIABLOS are currently available at a reduced price until September 20th, along with the WAKING THE FURY pre-order. Get the albums, along with the new self-titled album, in Europe now at http://earache.com/webstore/index.php/cPath/667_668_749

For Irish thrashers GAMA BOMB, file-sharing has proved to be an important and recurring topic of discussion.

Having released their 2009 album, TALES FROM THE GRAVE IN SPACE, online as a completely free download, GAMA BOMB's strong feelings about file-sharing largely oppose the views of many other musicians and artists. TALES FROM THE GRAVE IN SPACE - which remains free to download to this day - has sold just as many physical copies of the album in the short time since its release as the band's previous album has to date, indicating that the open availability of the album as a free download hasn't in fact harmed the band's sales.

PAUL McGUINNESS, manager for fellow Irish rockers U2, recently posted a lengthy article for GQ Magazine (http://j.mp/aABfPk) in which he discusses his views on the problems of file-sharing.

GAMA BOMB frontman PHILLY BYRNE has written an open letter to PAUL McGUINNESS in response to his article. An excerpt follows:

"U2's manager Paul McGuinness' recent article is well-reasoned, well-informed and commendable in its aims - though it's crazily short-sighted. It falls at the last hurdle when envisioning future solutions to the problems file sharing causes for the music industry, and is filled with logical blind-spots on the current state of the business. He's got the numbers right, but the headspace is all wrong.

"To his credit, Mr McGuinness is here wading into an argument that, as he notes, often involves untold abuse for those willing to stick their oar in. Furthermore, it's one that doesn't affect his untouchably profitable bread-and-butter, U2. So who am I to gainsay him?

"Last year my band Gama Bomb released their third album free of cost as a download with the permission of our record company, Earache Records. This, to my knowledge, makes us the first signed band ever to do so.

"We took this step because we personally consume music in this way and were aware our previous albums were largely being consumed as shared files. To release another CD in the traditional way seemed futile. Also, as a band playing a niche form of music on a small budget, we were aware of the potential PR power of such a move. The label agreed, we did it, and that's why I feel qualified to dust off my soap box on this one."

Thursday, August 26, 2010

OCEANOvocalist,Adam Warrenwill be lending his formidable talents to Utah'sCHELSEA GRINover the course of their upcoming Canadian tour.Warrenwill be stepping in for CHELSEA GRIN vocalistAlex Koehler, who is currently recovering from a jaw fracture. When asked to fill in,Warrencould not resist the chance to help out one of his favorite bands and get them through a tough spot:"I'm very excited to help out the CG guys on their next tour in Canada. The second I got the call, I was instantly into the idea -- especially considering i became good friends with Blind Witness on the over the limit tour. I also am a fan and have supported CG and Atilla since they first came on the scene so it will be fun to finally get the chance to hang with everyone. Personally this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up."CatchOCEANOvocalist,Adam WarrenfrontCHELSEA GRINon these Canadian dates:September 03rd Montreal, QC – TulipeSeptember 04th Drummondville, QV – Pub La BrasseeSeptember 05th Chicoutimi, QC – Bar Le BunkerSeptember 06th Lachute, QC – Theatre Des Petits BonheursSeptember 09th Hamilton, ON – Club AbsintheSeptember 10th London, ON – Rum RunnersSeptember 11th Windsor, ON – The Chubby PickleSeptember 12th St. Catharines, ON – Level 3 NightclubSeptember 13th Toronto, ON – Sneak Dee'sSeptember 14th Ottawa, ON – MavericksSeptember 15th Quebec City, QC – DagobertAs time ticks closer to the November 9th North American release of their sophomore album,CONTAGION, Chicago's ownOCEANOwill be heading out with a venerable deathcore all star lineup this October onThe Corruptour.Presented byMerchNowandAtticus,The CorruptourbringsOCEANOback to some of their favorite towns alongsideWHITECHAPEL,IMPENDING DOOM,MISS MAY IandI DECLARE WAR. With the impending release ofCONTAGION, fans can considerThe Corruptouras a month-long release party with some of the band's biggest friends in the business. WIth this,OCEANOwill bring fans the kick in the ass they crave and the total corruption of North America.Here are the dates:10/01 Macon, GA The 56710/02 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Culture Room10/03 St. Petersburg, FL State Theatre10/04 Jacksonville, FL Rain10/05 Spartanburg, SC Ground Zero10/06 Charlotte, NC Tremont Music Hall10/07 Raleigh, NC Volume 11 Tavern10/08 Norfolk, VA Norva10/09 Jermyn, PA Eleanor Rigby's10/10 Hartford, CT Webster Theatre10/12 Boston, MA Harper's Ferry10/13 Poughkeepsie, NY The Chance Theatre10/14 Syracuse, NY Lost Horizon10/15 Toledo, OH Headliner's10/16 Grand Rapids, MI Intersection10/17 Elgin, IL Mad Maggies10/19 Milwaukee, WI The Rave10/20 St. Louis, MO Pop's10/21 Louisville, KY Headliners Music Hall10/22 Birmingham, AL Zydeco10/23 Nashville, TN RocketownView theCorruptourflyer here:http://earacherecords.com/myspace/corruptour.jpgThere's still a few dates left onOCEANO's first major North American headlining run, theOver The Limit Tour. Catch them while there's still time:8/26 St. Louis, MO @ Fubar8/27 Sioux City, IA @ Morningside Lutheran8/28 Buffalo, MN @ The Vault8/28 Buffalo, MN @ The VaultWatchOCEANOplay 2 of their staples,"Inhuman Affliction"and"Samael The Destroyer"live from the Orlando, FL stop of theOver The Limit Tour:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN4S1MEar1sProduced byZeuss(MUNICIPAL WASTE, THE ACACIA STRAIN, HATEBREED, SHADOWS FALL),OCEANO's long-awaited sophomore album,CONTAGIONspreads in North AmericaNovember 9th.OCEANO'sBillboard-charting debut album,DEPTHS, is out now worldwide. Get your limited edition copy with two bonus tracks and a bonus"Into the Depths"DVD in the USA athttp://earache.com/uswebstore/index.php/cPath/667_672_698For moreOCEANOnews and info, head tohttp://www.myspace.com/oceanoLikeOCEANOonFacebook:http://www.facebook.com/OceanoMetalFor press opportunities and further information, please contact:Anthony GuzzardoNorth American Press ManagerEarache Records4402 11th st.Suite 507aLong Island City, NY 11101Phone - 718-786-1707Fax - 718-786-1756AIM/MSN: ForsakenChaos37www.earache.comusapr@earache.comhttp://www.myspace.com/earacherecordsPhotos, Art and Logos available at:http://www.earache.com/media

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Canadian heavy metal heroes CAULDRON have entered Rogue Studios in the band's hometown of Toronto to begin recording their new album.

Titled BURNING FORTUNE, the follow-up to CAULDRON's critically acclaimed 2009 debut album, CHAINED TO THE NITE, is due to be released on Earache Records in early 2011.

CAULDRON frontman JASON DECAY comments prior to entering the studio:

"We finished up pre-production yesterday at the shit factory and now we're all packed up and ready to load into the Rogue Studios this morning a few blocks away, where we'll begin work on 'Burning Fortune'!

"It's about time, and the nice thing is that we're actually rehearsed for this album, so we're pretty excited to get this thing recorded and out there. We'll also try to do a studio blog update thing to keep you posted on the album progress."

"Day 1 of recording: Chris and I rode our chariots over to the stewdio at 11am and waited for Jason to roll up in his car with Chris' drum set and bud Josh for drum assistance. Jason drove by, but with no drum set. Then he left again and came back 20 minutes later with a drum set. Our album's being recorded by engineer/producer extraordinaire Jameson Elliot, who you may recognize from recording the first 2 Goat Horn albums.

"Uh anyway, we spent most of the first day getting the drums tuned and miked, plus the guitar and bass sounding good. Took a few breaks to eat shitty food from Tim Hortons and then got back to testing levels. Around this time Steve Demise showed up to check out some tunez. The first song we recorded was 'All or Nothing'. The whole recording will be live off the floor with doubled guitar/solos/vocals done later. So we did a few takes of 'All or Nothing' and then took a break and biked over to shitty Pizza Pizza with Demise to order a couple of the cheap 1 topping large pizzas."

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Fresh off their massively successful appearance at last weekend'sBest Friends Dayin their hometown of Richmond, VA,MUNICIPAL WASTEare already looking forward to another big event happeningNovember 5-7inAustin, TX. The 5th annualFun Fun Fun FestatWaterloo Parkis one of the biggest, most diverse music festivals in all the world, featuring a virtual who's who of longtime and underground musical favorites.MUNICIPAL WASTEis proud to be playing among them and holding their own. DrummerDave Wittesays;"Devo, Suicidal, GWAR, Mastodon! Right there makes me so excited to play FFF Fest. We've played this fest a few times already and we are always treated so well. The combo of ethic and bands invited is almost unmatchable for me, for real. There's something for everyone and it's the closest thing in the states to a well done euro fest. Can't wait, and oh yeah, Weird AL. When the hell do you get to play with him?"For more info onFun Fun Fun Fest, go tohttp://www.funfunfunfest.com/CatchMUNICIPAL WASTEon the following dates:Oct 29 - The Fest - Gainesville, FLNov 5-7 - Fun Fun Fun Fest - Waterloo Park - Austin, TXTaken from the band's most recent album,MASSIVE AGGRESSIVE, the new music video for"Acid Sentence"centers around a serial killer who bathes his victims in acid. Shot in the style of a classic black and white horror film, video offers all of the aggression and fierce gore that fans have come to love aboutMUNICIPAL WASTEandFANGORIA."Acid Sentence"was directed byDavid McKendry. To give the fans an extra dose of terrifying bloody gore, David also recruited the effects talents atDapper Cadaver, whose fine gore craftsmanship has graced TV shows likeBONESandDEXTER. All of their hard effort has paid off in a video that stands alone as a pure piece of memorable horror.Watch the video forMUNICIPAL WASTE's"Acid Sentence" TODAY athttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP6j4pJX68oFor more news and info, head tohttp://www.myspace.com/municipalwasteFor press opportunities and further information, please contact: Anthony Guzzardo North American Press Manager Earache Records 4402 11th st. Suite 507a Long Island City, NY 11101 Phone - 718-786-1707 Fax - 718-786-1756 AIM/MSN: ForsakenChaos37www.earache.comusapr@earache.comhttp://www.myspace.com/earacherecords Photos, Art and Logos available at:http://www.earache.com/media

Pomona, California thrashers BONDED BY BLOOD recently shot a new music video for the track "Prototype: Death Machine", which comes off the band's new album, EXILED TO EARTH.

The video for "Prototype: Death Machine" was filmed with director DAVE VORHES, and sees BONDED BY BLOOD gearing up as a group of rebels as they fight to reclaim planet Earth from the clutches of an evil alien race called The Crong.

EXILED TO EARTH is due to be released in the UK on September 6th and is available on limited edition CD with a free mission patch, plus a collector's edition comic strip signed by the whole band. Pre-order your copy now while supplies last at http://www.townsend-records.co.uk/Bonded+By+Blood

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Florida death metallers, ORDER OF ENNEAD are very excited to soon be hitting the road with HATE ETERNAL, CANNABIS CORPSE, WORMROT and others in support of their latest release, AN EXAMINATION OF BEING. The band's existential style and highly technical musicianship are best experienced in a live setting where the true spirit of their material is best felt. Guitarist/vocalist, Kevin Quirion had this to say about the tour: "We're glad to be back on the road and can't wait to play these songs from the new album. It's a killer set and by the end you'll be questioning your existence."

Filling in for ORDER OF ENNEAD guitarist, John Li on all dates will be Shannon Hamm, formerly of DEATH and CONTROL DENIED. Wanting these appearances truly special for the fans, the band has rehearsed a number of DEATH songs that they will be performing throughout the tour. One such song would be the highly skilled and outright brutal track, "Symbolic" which was performed by the band (with both John Li and Shannon Hamm on guitars) this past June. Watch the performance here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewqLvtMV5O0

Catch ORDER OF ENNEAD on tour at these dates:

August 24th The Masquerade Atlanta, GA with Cannabis Corpse and Hate Eternal

ORDER OF ENNEAD guitarist, John Li wants fans to put their shred skills to the test in a video for Guitar World's "Betcha Can't Play This." Watch John Li break down a normally speedy jazz-influenced shred lick to its core and teach fans a bit of the style that makes Li one of the fastest rising young guitar virtuosos on the scene. Watch John Li in "Betcha Can't Play This" here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVB5XLpgBhc

AN EXAMINATION OF BEING, the new album from Floridian extreme metal actORDER OF ENNEAD, is out now in North America. AN EXAMINATION OF BEING is the second album from ORDER OF ENNEAD, following their self-titled debut release in 2008. AN EXAMINATION OF BEING was recorded at Audio Hammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Mark Lewis (TRIVIUM, CHIMAIRA, ALL THAT REMAINS). AN EXAMINATION OF BEING can be found alongside some exclusive ORDER OF ENNEAD deluxe merch packs at http://earache.com/uswebstore/index.php/cPath/667_672_126